A Nigerian national, Samuel Ugberaese, has been extradited from Nigeria to the United States to face federal charges bordering on wire fraud and money laundering conspiracy in an alleged cross-border romance scam that targeted victims in the US and other countries.
According to a press release issued by the US Department of Justice on Tuesday, Ugberaese was arrested by the FBI following his extradition and is facing prosecution in the Eastern District of North Carolina.
A federal grand jury returned an indictment against him on January 22, 2021, and he has been ordered detained pending trial by United States Magistrate Judge Brian S. Myers.
“The FBI arrested Samuel Ugberaese after he was extradited from Nigeria to the United States on charges relating to cross-border romance scams that targeted victims in the United States and elsewhere,” the DOJ stated.
It further added that Ugberaese and his alleged co-conspirators used deceptive romance schemes involving false stories and promises to induce victims into transferring funds.
Prosecutors allege that Ugberaese worked with a co-defendant, Oluwadamilare Kolaogunbule, a naturalised US citizen, to move illicit proceeds through a network of bank accounts, including accounts linked to purported export companies, in an effort to conceal the origin and ownership of the funds.
The statement said, “Ugberaese is charged with one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering. If convicted, he faces a statutory maximum penalty of 40 years in prison.”
The US Department of Justice credited coordinated international support for the arrest and extradition, including assistance from its Office of International Affairs, the FBI Legal Attaché office in Abuja, the US Department of State, Nigeria’s Ministry of Justice and Office of the Attorney General, the Nigeria Police Force-INTERPOL, and the South African Police Service.
The case is being prosecuted by the Fraud Section of the US Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of North Carolina, with Assistant U.S. Attorney Adam F. Hulbig leading the prosecution.
